Free and Online Auditory Processing Checklists: What They Can and Can't Tell You
A checklist can describe listening trouble. It cannot tell you whether your child has auditory processing disorder. A US audiology body says audiologists should diagnose auditory processing disorder (American Academy of Audiology, 2010). The same body says a checklist alone is not enough to diagnose it. Ask your child's doctor whether hearing has been checked recently.
What can a listening checklist tell you?
An online checklist asks about your child's listening. It does not test your child. A checklist can describe listening trouble. It cannot tell you whether your child has auditory processing disorder. In our view, a checklist can help you put what you see into words. Take it, with your own notes, to your child's doctor. In our view, take a hearing concern to your child's doctor or an audiologist. Ask your child's doctor whether hearing has been checked recently.
What do audiology bodies say about checklists?
A US audiology body says audiologists should diagnose auditory processing disorder (American Academy of Audiology, 2010). The same body says a checklist alone is not enough to diagnose it. A British audiology body wrote a statement about some listening checklists. It said they "provide some useful information but are not well validated" (British Society of Audiology, 2018). The statement also names a questionnaire its lead author helped develop. The statement itself says this. Ask your child's doctor whether hearing has been checked recently.
What did two studies of listening checklists find?
One small study looked at listening checklists for a group of children (Barry and colleagues, 2015). Some of the children met the criteria for auditory processing disorder. Barry and colleagues compared those children with the rest. Barry and colleagues found no evidence of more listening trouble in those children. Another study looked at listening checklists in clinic records (Shaikh and colleagues, 2020). Shaikh and colleagues found the checklists did not predict an auditory processing disorder diagnosis. The study's authors said a checklist alone should not decide who is tested for it. Both studies were small. Ask your child's doctor whether hearing has been checked recently.
What if few boxes on a listening checklist are checked?
A checklist cannot tell you whether your child has auditory processing disorder. If few boxes are checked, that does not settle it either. In our view, if you still see listening trouble, ask anyway. In our view, take a hearing concern to your child's doctor or an audiologist. Ask your child's doctor whether hearing has been checked recently.
Common questions from parents
Is there a free online test for auditory processing disorder?
Some free online tools are checklists. A checklist asks about your child's listening. It does not test your child. A checklist can describe listening trouble. It cannot tell you whether your child has auditory processing disorder. A US audiology body says audiologists should diagnose auditory processing disorder (American Academy of Audiology, 2010). The same body says a checklist alone is not enough to diagnose it. It says the same of a single test. Ask your child's doctor whether hearing has been checked recently.
What can an auditory processing checklist tell me?
A checklist can describe listening trouble. It cannot tell you whether your child has auditory processing disorder. In our view, a checklist can help you put what you see into words. Take it, with your own notes, to your child's doctor. A British audiology body wrote a statement about some listening checklists. It said they "provide some useful information but are not well validated" (British Society of Audiology, 2018). The statement also names a questionnaire its lead author helped develop. The statement itself says this. In our view, take a hearing concern to your child's doctor or an audiologist. Ask your child's doctor whether hearing has been checked recently.
Can a quiz tell me if my child has auditory processing disorder?
A quiz you fill in about your child is a kind of checklist. A checklist cannot tell you whether your child has auditory processing disorder. One study looked at listening checklists in clinic records (Shaikh and colleagues, 2020). Shaikh and colleagues found the checklists did not predict an auditory processing disorder diagnosis. The study's authors said a checklist alone should not decide who is tested for it. The study was small. A US audiology body says audiologists should diagnose auditory processing disorder (American Academy of Audiology, 2010). Ask your child's doctor whether hearing has been checked recently.